


Strangers

by leafyxthiefy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, M/M, Original Character Death(s), psychotic character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 17:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4928947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafyxthiefy/pseuds/leafyxthiefy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Law is an average Surgeon with dark tendencies hidden expertly where they belong, his life is going well enough; Ace is an average guy who just got his life back, or so they thought. Two strangers have been brought together by the most binding person possible. What exactly does this entail?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Strangers Meet

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Emygrl99

It was just a normal day at Sacred Heart Hospital for Trafalgar Law.

The middle aged man was unconscious, his entire midsection cut open with skin peeled back and pinned down on the Surgeon's table without a single care in the world. The nameless man's organs were on clear display and moving ever so slowly while they gleamed under the bright light that spotlighted them, showcasing them not only to the Surgeon that held the scalpel but to those other people that shared the room with him.

Law's tongue slipped past his lips, moistening his bottom one behind his surgeon's mask, how could he not marvel at the sight before him. It wasn't perfect, nothing was ever perfect when he had an audience, but it was as close as he was going to get and Law was fine with that. For now, he would have to be fine with that. Law would have to be satisfied for the time being as his gray eyes ran over his specimen, he no longer thinking of the man as an actual human being, but as something that he could play with, minimally of course and very very subtly.

Steel gray could see every twitch of the usually hidden muscles, the way the organs hummed and quivered, not used to the air they were being exposed to. Law could clearly see the veins and arteries that connected to the heart pulsing with the warm crimson that was the specimen's lifesblood. It was quite the sight in the eyes of the surgeon as he readied his scalpel, a small nearly invisible smile hidden behind his surgical mask.

Law often wondered if any of the other surgeons ever felt this rush of adrenaline whenever they were about to make an incision. He honestly doubted it, in fact there were some surgeons who actually looked displeased with their task. If they didn't want to cut into people then why the fuck did they go into a field that required you to slice bits of people away? Law never understood it, even as Sachi assured Law that he would get used to his job.

It's been two years since Sachi made that confession, and the man still got a little green at the sight of blood. It was times like those when he saw the earnest discomfort in his acquaintance's face that Law began to wonder about his actions.

Was he right to feel as he did? Was he right to get a near high from the simple act of nearing his exceptionally sharpened blade to the thin delicate tissue of people's organs? And the rush of relief, of release that he felt, that wonderful amazing feeling that had all of his nerves buzzing with barely contained energy when he finally cut into the flesh, into organs and muscle tissue alike.

Was Law wrong for enjoying that? Was it wrong that these actions felt oh so good!

Law pondered this sometimes, and the length of this inner discussion varied every time; there were times when he would debate with himself for hours on end. And then there were times that he gave the thought but a single second of his time, almost always coming to the same conclusion. A conclusion that said, ultimately, he did not care what others felt like in that moment, and all that mattered was the sweet release of endorphins that accompanied his actions. Law would revel in this feeling until he was forced to feign normalcy.

All the world could be damned, and Law for one, could never find it in himself to care too much. The rest of the world could go fuck itself with their ideologies. All he cared about was how felt in those moments, when the rest of the world didn't matter, where the rest of the world faded away along with its darkness, overpowered instead by his very own dark nature. It was in those small nearly insignificant moments that Law was the darkness, he was the one that was feared, he was the one in control.

That was what made Law feel as he did, he was in charge and Law relished this sense of euphoria. Law sought it out and chased after it, and fuck when he found it, Law fucking drowned in the sweet sensation of blissful release, he got fucking wasted in the amount of rightness that came with these actions!

Was Law sick for thinking this way, for living for that reason?

Possibly?

Most likely, but in his humble opinion, this scenario could have been infinitely worse considering his background. Law could have ended up being a malicious and highly feared serial killer, like the ones that were seen almost every day on television.

Law didn't just think this is a possibility, he knows it is with a complete and unwavering uncertainty. This is mostly due to the fact that he was a serial… practitioner of the deadly arts not that not that long ago−Law refused to think that he was a killer, yes he had ended lives, but that word was… Cora-san did not like that word.

Granted, Law left that life behind−because Cora-San was afraid for him−there was no telling how long he would be able to pull off the "Surgeon of Death" epithet. Reluctantly, Law had to hang up his hat, quite literally, and push away his dark tendencies. It had been hard, so terribly hard going through med school, and even now it was hard at some points, so it came as no surprise that every now and then he gave in. Law only gratified the need if he was positive there would be no slip ups and that no one would ever be able to uncover that part of him.

Yet having these thoughts, Law wasn't perfect, he recognized that and he had Cora to thank for it, but he surely wasn't as unstable as many would like to think. There were even times in the surgery room where Law couldn't help himself and chose to indulge just the tiniest bit and cut just marginally more deeply than he should. Never too much though, he had to save his patients not slaughter them.

Law had always been careful, he had learned at a very young age the best methods to use when slicing into people and animals alike, how to best dispose of the… mess.

Did Law mention that he had a tutor in the arts? He hated to admit it, but everything he knew, he had to thank his stupid adopted uncle for everything he taught him. Donquixote Doflamingo was an interesting man to say the least; he was smart, cunning, and freakishly insane. Some may argue that Law had no room to speak on another person's mental health, but he would just tell those people to shove it up theirs, Law knew Doflamingo was unstable in the most demented way because he was just as jaded. Law guessed this was why Doflamingo had taken an immediate liking to the boy his brother's family adopted.

Needless to say that quickly Doffy had taken a young Law under his wing at the age of 13, and his training began.

Law was just as clever as Doflamingo, just as perceptive and infinitely more careful, or so he liked to believe.

That small near invisible smile went unnoticed as always and Law continued to do his service for society, he cut out the bad parts of people and was paid for his services, while also keeping the dark tendency of slicing into them at bay. It was a wonderful balance that worked 95% of the time and Law could rest easy that no one would ever figure that the patient who had just been

patched back up had served a higher purpose.

Law was what people feared most, he was the the cause of terror, and he was safe; in those sweet moments Law was purged from his own darkness, and he himself was immune to it.

That nameless man had given Law his fill to keep him going for the rest of the week. And in a way, Law was as thankful as most people were to the dead cow that fended off their hunger; actually he might actually care just slightly more than that. Silently Law watched as the man was sewn back up and shot up with his well deserved painkillers before being wheeled away.

'Goodbye now,' Law thought with the smallest hint of fondness, he truly liked his job, it was the best way he could cause damage to something while fixing it at the same time. An odd way of thinking for sure, but it was his life and he would spend it as he wished.

Law was a bachelor, barely past his mid twenties, and he was enjoying the life that was given to him by his most treasured person and that person's brother. Law knew his life wasn't perfect, Hell Law could barely call it normal. But it was his and he rather liked his lifestyle because he managed to live on in a semi state of normalcy, he was in control of his life and things were good.

X

Ace stretched out his arms over his head, his torso twisting to his right until he heard a satisfying pop and the immediate relief that followed made the young raven haired man sigh.

"That feels so good!" he exclaimed to no one in particular, as he walked over to where a lounging bench sat underneath a large summer umbrella. Ace picked up his orange towel and began to dry himself off, starting from his head, making sure to get as much moisture out of his wavy raven hair.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're enjoying your swim time Ace, but aren't you late for something, yoi?" a voice called from behind, and Ace turned with the brightest smile he had, the towel casually draped upon his shoulders.

"What are you talking about Marco, there's no class today, I thought it was some sort of state holiday or something… at least that's what Smoker said in the last meeting." Ace said with with a flippant shrug. If there had been class that day, then he would just have to call Smoker and let him know that it wasn't his fault he missed. Though why the gray haired man had yet to call him to inform him of his lateness he wasn't sure. So was there class today or not?

"I'm pretty sure there was no class today, otherwise Smoker would have definitely blown up my phone and it hasn't rung all day." he stated voicing his thoughts on the situation.

At the look he was receiving from his brother, Ace was forced to tilt his head in confusion. "We didn't have a family event planned either, did we?"

Marco shook his head.

"Ah, it's no ones birthday… not yours, Thatch's, Izo's, Haruta's… Oyaji's… not mine." Ace began to tick off all of the possibilities on his fingers, ignoring the way stray droplets of water began to trail off of his tanned skin, gliding along the drying tan skin before joining the growing puddle under his feet.

By this time, the blonde in front of Ace had rolled his eyes and walked over to affectionately poke the shorter man's forehead careful not to push his back into the pool. "No you dork, it's your check up, yoi . Now go get yourself decent and I'll drive you to the hospital."

"Oh… that." Ace frowned now, his good mood dampening quicker than the concrete under him. His lips parted, clear protest in his features. "But Mar−"

Marco held up his hand, "No buts Ace, you are getting in that car or I will personally restrain you and drag you there if I have to, yoi. You have five minutes to get ready, and besides, we're almost done with these visits. Dr. Hogback said these next few months may be the last ones you need, he just wants to make sure that you're doing fine."

Ace scowled, he was annoyed with these sessions, but at least they weren't weekly anymore, or monthly. Now they were bi-monthly and soon he could stop going altogether. With a heavy and exaggerated sigh he pursed his lips. "Fiiiiiiiiiiine, promise to buy me ice cream after?"

Marco chuckled, his half lidded eyes amused as he shrugged. "Depends how fast we get there and how quickly the examination goes, yoi."

Taking that as a yes, Ace whooped and ran into the house, ignoring Marco's cries asking him to slow down and not run in the house because it could be dangerous.

Not even ten minutes later Ace was sitting in Marco's passenger seat and as ready as he could ever be to face the creepy doctor. Ace didn't like Sacred Heart Hospital, he had never really liked anything that had to do with sterile places and bleak hallways filled with sick strangers, but he would never hear the end of it from anyone if he failed to make his appointments, which he had neglected plenty of times in the past−for very valid reasons mind you. It wasn't until Oyaji appointed Mother Hen Marco to take him to his sessions that Ace's attendance became perfect.

Ace hasn't missed a session in a year, all thanks to Marco's diligence.

"It's been two and a half years now Marco, I don't see why I still have to go to these silly things." Ace complained on the way there, the same tired song that Marco was used to yet never reprimanded Ace for.

"You know why, yoi. We don't want you to go back into remission. Just bear with this for a while longer, Ace c'mon you know what Oyaji says right?" Marco asked giving Ace a smile and causing him to nod.

"It is not a child's place to die before their father." Ace said quietly and that, as always, calmed his displeasure for having to go back to that hospital.

Marco gave Ace a sad smile, reaching out to gently ruffle the younger's mop of raven hair. No further words were exchanged beyond that point.

X

"I still don't see why you have to take that every time." Ace said from where he was lying on two large yet extremely uncomfortable pillows that hospitals always seemed to have an abundance of. Ace was now dressed in a gown and forced on his side as Ace "recovered" from the sample the man had just taken from his back.

"And I'm sure I've told you plenty of times that this is just protocol. We are nearing the critical point in your treatment Mr. Portgas, and I just want to make sure that there are no signs of remission, even this late in the recovery process the cells could decide to act up again. I assure you that such an occurrence has not been unheard of." Dr. Hogback answered as smoothly as he had all those other times before.

Ace merely huffed and gazed around the room, vaguely wondering why anyone would even want to work in this sort of environment, it was so dull! So clean, so constricting, everything that Ace hated. Ace shivered at the thought of having the unfortunate luck of having to work in such a place.

"Please remain still, Mr. Portgas." Hogback drawled behind him and Ace rolled his eyes, making a noise to signal that he understood.

"This is such a pain." he muttered and closed his eyes, vaguely aware that his narcolepsy was kicking in. Ace barely managed to smile as he was whisked away to unconsciousness in a rare gratefulness for the attack.

Upon waking up, Ace blinked to gaze up at Marco who was flipping through a standard hospital-supplied magazine on parenting. "There something you want to tell me Marco?" Ace asked, his voice heavy with sleep followed by a jaw cracking yawn.

Not even bothering to glance up from his skimming, Marco smiled warmly. "Glad to see you've come to, and no, nothing in particular, yoi. The doctor said twenty more minutes and you can go back and change."

Ace made a displeased noise and pouted, "I was hoping I was free to go by now."

"Almost, would you have rather woken up when you still had an hour left?" Marco inquired as his eyes went over the lines, finding an article he liked within the magazine.

"No." the word sounded more like a sulk than he had meant to and Marco chuckled. "You just worry about the flavor of ice cream you're going to eat."

That alone lifted Ace's spirit and he went off listing all of the possibilities he could have, until he was distracted by Marco's thoughtful hum. "Oyaji was complaining the other day that he was nearing a certain age and had yet to see any grandchildren, yoi."

Ace's brows furrowed. "That's the first I'm hearing about this, why doesn't he just adopt a kid?"

"He say's that if he does that then he'll be gaining another son, or daughter, he wants a child without the adoption I guess. However, considering none of us have actually settled into a childbearing relationship or have the capacity to give one, means he's out of luck, yoi." Marco shrugged.

Ace couldn't help but laugh at the statement. Their father had a fair point, Marco was not interested in anyone at this point, he was the sort of person who was okay with not having anyone other than his family in his life and the occasional friend. He swore he wasn't an asexual despite his family's teasing, he just had not found his other half yet. Then there was Haruta, the youngest brother who couldn't possibly care less about dating and spent his time invested in his own little world where he had no one other than himself to focus on. Everyone in the house wholeheartedly agreed that if anyone was asexual, it was Haruta.

And then there was the oddest couple in their household; Izo and Thatch were dating, which was cool and everything, it had just been a rather unexpected turn of events, yet they could all see how amazingly balanced they were for one another, Thatch, with his wild and energetic side made it his personal mission to make Izo smile as much as possible, while Izo kept Thatch grounded and calm when the situation was needed. Seeing that play out was rather endearing if you asked Ace.

Then there was Ace, the last possible hope for their father to give him a biological grandson, and he met that with a nervous smile. Ace was not interested in women, thus could not fulfill that destiny. Instead he handed it over to Marco, who still had a chance.

"I dunno Marco, my money's still on you." Ace said with a grin, receiving a flick to the forehead in return.

"I told you to call that bet with Haruta off yoi, one of you is going to end up butt hurt and we've all seen you two prank each other for ten months straight, no one wanted to set a foot in that house for most of that."

Ace laughed, a hearty and contagious sound that soon had Marco smiling through his stern, no nonsense face. Instead of laughing though, he rolled up the newspaper and gently tapped it against Ace's head. "It isn't funny, we were all terrified during Christmas Ace, and rightly so. What you did to each other's presents." he shuddered.

Again Ace laughed and this time Marco didn't hold off on joining in with his own laughter.

Ace was finally on the right track of his life; he was young, 22 to be exact, and there was a world of possibilities ahead of him. Ace was even a well liked swimming coach at New World University. Sure he was just about to overcome one of the toughest ordeals he had ever been faced with, but he had come out on top! Over two years ago Ace had been given the harsh news no nineteen year old should ever have to face. But he met the challenge head on, and he fought a near incurable disease along with his family and the needed doctors. Now Ace was well on his way to ridding it from his body for ever.

Life could not possibly throw anything worse than the possibility of death at him.

X

The next week, Ace received a rather weird phone call while class was in session. His questioning look was met with a shrug from Vice Principle Rayleigh. "It's the hospital, Sacred Heart, you might want to take it." the older man suggested and Ace nodded, dread coiling in his stomach.

Ace had beat the odds right, he wasn't relapsing was he?

Ace felt his stomach roll, fresh adrenaline pumping through his veins as he picked up the phone and managed a choked "Hello."

The message was brief and not the least bit reassuring, yet somehow Ace managed to confirm that he would in fact be at the Hospital as soon as he could in the next half hour with an unwavering voice. Immediately after hanging up, Ace dialed Marco.

"Hey Marco, you busy?" Ace paused and smiled tightly. "I just got a call from Sacred Heart... Could you drive me there?"

X

Law frowned, not overly so, but enough to make his displeasure known. He was sitting in Dr. Kureha's office and had not been given an explanation as to why he of all people was in her office. He knew he hadn't screwed up, none of his surgeries were ever botched, he made sure if that, painstakingly going over every single detail.

The older doctor didn't offer any explanations and Law was not going to be the one to break the silence, he was still working and if the old bat wanted to pay him for sitting in her office, so be it.

Ten minutes passed and she finally put down a rather extensive file, her grimace darkening as the door opened and Monet ushered in a couple of men, Law noted that he knew neither of them. Law's cool silver eyes ran quickly over the pair, one blonde and taller and nicely dressed, the other shorter raven haired one soaked through his clothes.

Law did not fail to notice the wary glances that were sent in his direction, especially the way they lingered on the patch that defined him as a Cardiovascular Surgeon. Odd, Law distantly wondered what possible connection he had to these two.

"Mr. Portgas, Mr. Phoenix, thank you for coming on such sort notice, please take a seat." The director of the hospital greeted motioning to the two empty seats next to Law.

Again, Law did not fail to notice the rigid posture the two men held, the way they sat rigidly in their seats wary eyes now on Dr. Kureha.

The older woman sighed, her fingers steepling before her as she leaned forward. "There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it as it is. Dr. Trafalgar I have called you and Mr. Portgas here to inform you that you two..." She paused considering her words.

"Fuck it, you two are now parents, both of you have created a single biological child."


	2. Stress Reliever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law and Ace's surprise is revealed, but how will the two men deal with the sudden child given to them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please keep in mind that this particular fic was influenced by (But not based off) Dexter, the book turned TV series. Graphic content ahead, so if you're squeamish or in any way easily offended by such gory scenes, well don't say I didn't warn ya.
> 
> I own nothing in regards to One Piece or any other referenced material. Enjoy!~
> 
> Beta'd By Shishiswordsman

Law's face darkened while Portgas' blanched. A single word was hissed at his superior. "Explain."

Kureha was undeterred by the underlying menace in that single word. She had witnessed Law angry a handful of times and had observed far worse. Her own anger was something to be feared too, after all.

"As I stated, Dr. Trafalgar, the two of you have created a single living organism. We only became aware of his existence a few hours ago, three to be exact. An undisclosed doctor of ours was caught sneaking bottles filled with formulas, diapers, and blankets prior to the discovery. When confronted, he claimed to be running an errand for a nurse. The lie would have worked for him if at that very moment the aforementioned nurse had not intervened."

"This doctor has now been apprehended but, alas, some rather distasteful information has come to surface. Authorities are being called in to supervise this… case." Kureha briefed them in and Law could only narrow his eyes.

"Fucking shit Kureha, are you fucking implying..." The words were more of a growl than anything else when they left the infuriated cardiologist's lips. Law's gray eyes were cold and distant as he analyzed what his supervisor was saying between the lines.

"Implying what, exactly, yoi?" An unfamiliar voice reached Law's ears and he turned his attention to the two other men in the room, who were clearly not employees of the hospital. His gray eyes bore into the strangers with scrutiny. He must have looked like he was glowering at them most likely, but Law didn't care. He sure as hell didn't hide the fact that he was looking them over, either.

The one who had spoken was older than the other by, if he had to guess, a good eight years. The younger of the two looked to be in his early twenties, twenty-one, twenty-two? Law had to assume that the blonde was therefore in his late twenties or possibly just hitting his was the calmer of the two, so Law could only guess that he wasn't the one receiving the unpleasant news.

They were an odd pair, Law decided. The blonde was a few inches taller than Law, with an odd tuft of fur −excuse him− hair, sticking out of his head in a strange fashion. His eyes were even odder than that, an obscenely bright blue with such heavy lids covering over half of them that gave him the illusion of appearing perfectly calm despite the surely upsetting information he had just learned. _No one should ever look that relaxed_ , a small voice whispered in Law's mind and he found his mouth twitching slightly before settling in the ever present scowl.

What would happen if Law were to cut away at those eyelids, would that improve the man's facial features? Would it make him terrified? And would the blue in his eyes look more normal? Could he even see properly with such obstructions blocking his vision? All probable questions to be sure, and Law entertained every one of those momentarily.

Moving on, the blonde was well muscled, clearly one to never skip gym, though the suit he was wearing did a spectacular job at hiding his defined figure to most. If Law had not studied anatomy to the extent he had, then he might have overlooked the fact, but he had studied it thoroughly and for that he was pleased with himself.

This man looked calm with his pacified demeanor and those god awfully dulled eyes, yet Law could sense the nervousness that seeped out of him in dark waves. He hid it pretty well, Law would give him that. He held a better hold of his emotions than the other male beside him that was for sure. Law could only guess that the younger man was this aforementioned 'Portgas'. He looked incredulous, dumbfounded even.

The younger of the two was more interesting to look at, to say the least. Law's interest was certainly piqued the more he openly stared at the man. He had large dark brown eyes that were only slightly reddened by what Law could only guess was pool water, if the scent of chlorine and wet clothing were anything to go by. The wet material of his shirt clung to him at every rise and dip of well toned muscle, painting a rather nicely chiseled picture for Law. He certainly worked out by what Law could tell. However, his pale complexion was doing no justice to the dust of freckles that decorated the bridge of his nose and cheekbones;the man was as white as a sheet, his hands gripping the seat he was occupying with a white knuckled death grip. The man stared at both Law and Kureha to give him some sort of explanation for a long moment before a bark of a laughter left his throat.

"This is some kind of joke, right Doc? You're just pulling my leg here and any moment now some camera crew will spring out and tell us it was all just for shits and giggles, right?" He trailed off, glancing from Kureha to Law as dawning realization of the situation slumped his shoulders.

Before Kureha could intervene, Law leaned back, going over the theory in his mind. "Am I correct in assuming that one of our esteemed doctors was conducting some illegal activities?"

The older doctor only sighed gravely, giving Law his answer.

"I repeat myself, what exactly is going on here, yoi." The blonde stated, much more forcefully while the raven remained apprehensive.

"It seems our head director might not have jurisdiction to disclose certain matters." Law's words were directed to the pair. However, Law had become bored with looking them over and his eyes met with those of the older woman.

"Normally I would accept your policy on not sharing such confidential news, but because I myself am involved, allow me to make a few deductions. Doctorine-ya?" The woman nodded, and Law continued without bothering to acknowledge her consent with a thank you.

"An unnamed doctor has been stealing infant supplies for one reason or another." He began.

"There have been rumors amongst the staff of stock going missing in the nursery department for months−so Sachi-ya says. This suggests that this person has either been unsuccessful in acquiring their own materials to house their own infants at home, or their actions are much more sinister than petty theft." Law reasoned.

"Taking into consideration that the 'authorities' are brought into the mix suggests one of two things. My initial thought would be that he was stealing children and selling them in the black market, and thus keeping them alive with the stolen materials. That scenario is highly probable, save for two things. The first is that there have been no reports of missing children, the government would have been upon us in a heartbeat. And then there's the fact that we were brought here and that you mentioned that we specifically created a single living organism. Two _males_ can't make a child, unless of course both of their DNA samples are involved in creating said child..." Law trailed off and the indifferent demeanor he had held up to that point dissolved as he took note that Dr. Kureha was not denying his claim.

Anger rose in the surgeon at that moment, and Law was highly tempted to rise out of his seat and slam his palms heavily on her desk in his anger, but that kind of action would only result to him injuring his hands. Instead, his anger left him in the calm eerie monotone that often made Cora-san uncomfortable.

"Understand that in any other case I might have laughed, Doctorine-ya. I, in fact, might have been rather impressed with this discovery and maybe even held a begrudging respect for this unnamed man. The theory of splicing genes and creating a single sentient being is fascinating to say the least. However, to use _my_ genes without _my_ permission in this obscene pet project, _that_ I can't tolerate. How long." It wasn't a question; Law was demanding an answer.

The couple next to him simply gaped at Law, no doubt processing his words. He was accusing the head of the hospital with immoral human experimentation, after all.

"Surely that can't be true, Dr. Kureha. Human cloning is illegal, yoi." The blonde spoke up.

Doctorine sighed, "Yes, yes I am aware of that boy." She snapped and turned to Law. "The answer is too long. The _boy_ is a year old."

"Boy! A year!" Portgas shouted incredulously, while at the same time, Law's voice was deadly calm.

"A year."

The doctor suddenly looked older than she ever had, and Law dared to think she was actually showing her true age at that very moment.

"Need I repeat myself!" She spat out and sighed. "He is one of the youngest of the group, the others will be sent for adoption once exams have proven that they are healthy, as we were unable to identify their parents. The other _donors_ must have been just as much in the dark about this as the two of you. The only reason we were able to identify you two was because we have your DNAs in the system. I wanted to bring this up to you personally, Dr. Trafalgar, Mr. Portgas. In a moment, your child will be brought through that door and I wish to ask you a simple question. You two will be given the opportunity none of the other _donors_ had."

"You may take the child into your care as his legal guardians and parents, but I will not force you to do so. It is ultimately your decision whether or not you wish to raise him, but he will be given over to the adoption agency otherwise."

~X~

"Holy fuck… She isn't kidding, Marco. She…" Ace choked out. He could feel himself trembling even as he held onto the chair. "She's fucking serious." Ace whispered and looked up to meet her old, wisened gaze.

How the actual, proverbial _fuck_ was Ace supposed to _feel_ at that fucking moment?

First came the shock, then obvious denial, before he had even attempted to find some sort of humor in the situation. What was being suggested just _couldn't_ be possible. How the fuck was it even possible...

How the fuck did two guys make a child?

Ace was gay, and he knew he would never be able to have a biological child, unless he and whoever his partner would became to an understanding of getting a surrogate mother. There was no fucking way that all of this was fucking possible.

Ace was near hysterics, but a soothing hand was placed on his shoulder, effectively calming him, thought it didn't do much for his trembling self. He was a father… Ace was a father, how the actual fuck! Ace needed to calm down and stop cursing to himself, but he just _couldn't_ believe that any of this was actually happening. Marco was there, though; he could feel his reassuring presence next to him, the warm comfortable and familiar touch of his hand on his shoulder.

The next thing the three of them knew, they were handed pristine sheets of paper, filled with some complicated medical terminology written in black and white. Ace saw his name, saw the unknown infant's _number_ −did they seriously name this kid 5? Ace's anger flared once more at that moment as he clutched the paper, Marco reading over his shoulder. All of it came down to a single line at the end of the report, a single percentile.

Paternal possibility of Ace D. Portgas to _Child 5:_ 98.8%

This was real, and this was happening. Ace was a father.

"Adoption…" Marco's hand tightened around his shoulder as Ace's shuddering suddenly stopped and his eyes became more focused and narrowed on the elder woman.

"Why the hell would I personally send my child off to an adoption agency!" Ace had to make an effort, more than he probably should have, to keep his voice down and keep himself from cursing at the doctor, who was only doing her job.

"Why would you want to keep it?" A monotone voice pierced the silence, causing all eyes to fall on the cardiologist.

Ace's eyes bored into the man sitting not even two feet away. Marco's hand was gripping his shoulder in a warning to reign in his anger, but Ace shrugged off the blonde's concern and chose to instead pin the indifferent man with his most lethal stare.

"Why would I want to keep _him?_ Oh, I don't know, maybe because he's my son? And are you forgetting he is also yours!" Ace was trembling with rage by that point, and he had to physically work to stay in his seat and not jump the doctor to beat his face in.

"While I am aware the… _child_ is composed of half my DNA, a son by definition is a human male offspring, while an offspring is the product of a reproductive process of a living sentient being. Tell me, Portgas-ya, have you and I ever met? Did you bear me a child? I assure you I have never met you, nor have I ever been intimate with the likes of child is therefore nothing but a clone of sorts that happened to be fused with half your DNA."

Ace's anger dimmed for a fraction of a second before flaring back up again. "Just because neither of us actually _made_ the kid doesn't mean he isn't ours!" Ace was beyond mad, old memories were surfacing with the current situation and he needed to calm down before he really would beat the living shit out of the stoic man.

Ace couldn't understand it, how could this man not _care_ about a kid he was a part of? It made him sick to his very core and it instantly made him hate the man. Dr. Trafalgar was quickly earning the top spot on Ace's most hated-list. Just a bit more and he would actually beat Roger, and that was saying something.

The man ignored him. "If that was all you wished to tell me, Kureha, I believe I am done here." the doctor stated and got up to leave just as there was a knock on the door. Dr. Kureha sighed and raised her head, "Come in, Monet."

The green haired woman Ace was more or less familiar with walked in with a small child huddled to her chest. Ace had never spent as much time around smaller children as he had around the ones in their teens, so he was not so sure if that was the average height and size of an one year-old. He sure hoped so though.

Catching his eyes on her the nurse, Monet, smiled and leaned down to whisper softly in the child's ear, who then turned his head to peek at Ace curiously. The first thing Ace saw were a pair of large, doe-like eyes that met his.

"Marco…" Ace breathed as he stood, shaking once again. Really the constant shaking was getting far too annoying for the young swim coach's liking. "Marco, he has my eyes." Ace was already crossing the small distance between him and his apparent descendant without a second thought, the small child holding his gaze the entire time with those large chocolate eyes of his.

"He's…" Ace took a breath and steadied himself as he reached out to the child, who was also reaching his small arms in his direction, both palms making grabby gestures, an impossibly wide smile smile stretching across his chubby cheeks while bubbling laughter escaped him in infectious joy. Ace could see that he was quickly getting impatient, despite the smile he was wearing. However, that smile started to falter and his small feet began to kick the air as the little boy began lunging himself within the nurses hold.

Chuckling, Monet closed the gap between herself and Ace, easing the child into his outstretched arms. The flood of emotion that followed made Ace gasp and reflexively hold the small boy closer. Without him ever noticing, tears had found their way to Ace's eyes while melodious peals of laughter escaped the boy in his arms.

Ace didn't know what it was he was feeling, exactly.. He was elated, excited and basically feeling every good feeling in the book, making him almost light headed. However, joy was the most prominent emotion within him as he held the squirming mass in his arms. Small palms slapped against Ace's freckled cheeks as the child babbled in his native tongue, laughing and occasionally smearing the stray tears that fell from Ace's teary gaze.

"He's perfect, Marco." Ace whispered in awe.

The blonde came up from behind Ace and gently laid steadying hands on his shoulders once more as he peeked at the happy child. "He does have your eyes, yoi. And your smile…" he trailed off, soon recovering with a soft snort, "He looks almost like you, except for the freckles, and his hair is straighter. There's enough curl in it, though."

"How can you look at this face and not−" Ace stopped himself short as he turned and found the other man missing.

Monet shrugged apologetically, "He took one glance at the child and rushed out the door. But that's Law for yo." She said and shrugged. "It's no secret that he's a pretty reserved man."

Ace frowned, but quickly decided that the older man could take that sentiment he had over the boy and shove it up his ass. His kid didn't need that type of negativity in his life.

"So, I assume you're taking the brat." Kureha interrupted and all eyes landed on her again. The doctor seemed completely undeterred by the surgeon's callous behavior. . At Ace's quick nodded reply she smiled and pulled out the paperwork that had been sitting before her in the manila folder.

"I will need you to sign here, and here…" she drawled on and on as Marco looked over the paperwork. Marco was good with all that legal stuff, he had to be after choosing a career in law and becoming a lawyer. Ace could rest assured that Marco would handle all the legal paperwork and make sure that things would be fine.

In any case, he was too caught up in the child to pay attention.

"I can't believe it, I have a son…" Ace muttered to himself, as if to test the words, and laughed along with the adorable child. _His child._

~X~

"This can't be true… I can't have a son."

Law wasn't sure what he was feeling. He had escaped back to the safety of his office, locked the door and promptly hunched over his desk, his hand crushing the offending piece of paper Kureha had given was but a single thought in his mind at that moment, repeating over and over like a never ending mantra. _It can't be true!_

And yet, the proof was written right there in black and white, in irrefutable underlined words and percentages. Seeing them made Law restless, which was not a good thing, for anyone wishing to see tomorrow, anyway.. When Law became restless, the urge to slice became harder to deal with, making Law even less mentally stable than usual.

Fuck, he needed to cut into something, anyone, anything would do at that point!

Law could feel his fingers twitching, drumming against his skull as he tried to reign in his emotions. How had this happened? Law was always aware of things, always in control. He hadn't donated blood in recent years, he had never been operated on in this hospital. Although it was true that he had had to give his DNA once for hospital records, that was not nearly enough to make another person. So, how in all the nine hells had this happened?

Law decided that he could not stay in the office today. No, he needed to relieve himself of the stress lest his composure snap and he would risk the life of some poor soul that just happened to be on his table. Thinking that Kureha would have a pretty good idea of why he would be absent for the rest of the day, Law left no note; not a text, voicemail, or email.

Instead he stormed out of his office and down the halls, ignoring everyone and everything along the way. The hospital was not his problem today, today he had bigger things to take care of than the ailments of others. His own illness, for one.

Everything was a haze for the rest of the day, Law drove and drove, his nondescript Honda traveling as far as he wanted to go. Law found himself in the next state, three towns in, where he left his car at a strip mall and acquired another means of transportation, Once that was settled, Law immediately hit the slums and a subject was selected. It was easy to pick these guys off, the dregs of society who were never missed, and if they were, no one would report them.

Sedation was quite simple, amature work really, as was getting the body in the trunk of his borrowed car and driving off into the night.

There were a set number of rules that Law liked to abide by, both self imposed and taught to him by his mentor.

_Select someone no one will miss. No high ranking officials, no one you know, unless absolutely necessary. Don't commit the act in the same city as yours if possible. Make sure the subject is alone. Leave no witnesses. Have fun._

Those were only a few of the important ones, and Law followed each and every one of them religiously whenever he indulged himself. He chose a young man, early twenties, dark mop of matted raven hair, lean and muscular… and a junkie. The kid had been nursing his badly bruised arm, and all Law had to do was offer him something akin to what he was looking for and the boy had eagerly followed Law to his doom.

With practiced ease the boy was sedated and on a makeshift table. Improvising was a pain sometimes but nothing Law was not used to. He eyed the abandoned house with distaste; he was further in the state, in an unused farm house, the poor state of the place was proof enough of its abandonment. A stolen car was parked not too far from the house and waiting for him to return both to it and to society.

Society and its norms could wait, especially if they wanted him to be sane enough to meet its constricting expectations anytime soon. Right now Law needed to release some of the anger that was welled up in him.

He _needed_ to feel in control, and this was exactly the way to regain stability. This was exactly what he needed. Pulling out his kit, Law smirked at the scalpels of differing sizes and sharpness that gleamed under the light he had set up. In all honesty the scenario could have been better, but once again that was nothing that he wasn't already used to working with.

Time was running out, and the junkie was starting to stir.

Law's excitement returned full force and he stopped thinking about at all the little details that were still amiss from his set up. Who cared if blood seeped into the rug when a quick fire would clear that mess right up.

Law was on the better side of the underworld. His current operating room was nothing more than a little graffiti infested shack that had no doubt served as a scene for many illegal activities. Well, Doffy would just have to forgive him from burning down this rarely used piece of shit.

Taking his largest scalpel Law smirked, gloved hands going over his prepped toy that was just ripe for the taking. He eyed the man's abused arm with distaste, "Drugs, such a silly thing to fall victim to, so addictive and destructive. Had you not been so foolishly dependant on those I would have overlooked you." Law chided his groaning subject. "But I guess you'll learn that soon enough, don't you agree?" Law asked as he dragged the blade from wrist to inner elbow, drawing a delicate thin line of red along the bruised flesh in one swift, practiced and methodical movement, .

The pain seemed to work in waking the young man as he tried in a vain attempt to sit up, only to find himself restrained and trapped on the table.

Law watched his struggles in amusement, his menacing laugh voicing his dark pleasure.

"Excellent, welcome to consciousness. Unfortunately your time on this world has come to a close. I would say you made an interesting contribution to society but it seems the only pockets your kind fills are those of my dear loving uncle, so I will offer you a greater purpose in life," Law knew he was grinning like a psychopath, and he relished the flash of horror that washed over the youth's face.

"Tonight you will help me control my anger."

The addict's mouth opened to scream, gaping wide only to release a hoarse guttural sound that filled the empty night only to be drowned out by Law's deep rumble of a laugh. Crimson spilled from the unfortunate man's pale lips, dark pink bubbles forming and trailing down the hallowed cheeks as the scream died before it was ever even born

"Normally I would love to hear your screams, but tonight I am not in the mood. Thus I took the liberty of removing your tongue. Nasty business, the mouth you know, I will never understand dentists and why they would willingly probe such a place. But not that it matters, I am going to start now. It's a simple procedure really, I'll talk you through it. We start here." Law said and placed the scalpel just above the man's navel. "And we go upwards, one swipe and with the right pressure, the cut should open you right up." Law's hand started to travel from its starting point, slowly cutting deeper into the flesh.

Another snuffed cry left the young raven, making Law smirk. "Do try to keep still, I want to make a clean incision here. Would you like me to sedate you?" He asked and received a vigorous nod that Law, in all his benevolence, took into further consideration.

"Well, I _could_ do that." He mused, pressing the blade deeper into the withering form on the table and watched in sadistic glee as blood pooled around the cut, staining the shining metal and running down both sides of the man's torso.

"But, I'm in a _really_ bad mood, so I don't feel like offering you such a comfort." Law confided, managing to feign some sort of sympathy for the man as he continued to carve upwards. "You see I had a huge load of bull dumped on me today." Law grunted, finishing the starting cut and took hold of the surgical scissors next to him, cutting away at the skin mercilessly. "Some bastard somehow got a hold of my DNA, my _fucking_ DNA, can you believe it? Do you know what that means?" Law questioned, setting the stained scissors aside before meeting those dark and terrified eyes. "Well, do you?"

Tears escaped the man's eyes and joined the mess under him on the table. Law sighed, "Of course _you_ don't, how can I expect a drug addict to understand. But this man, who will suffer much more than you by the way, you can be sure of that." Law promised darkly, pulling out much larger pinning needles than needed .*

"I need to do some digging first, though, and not only did this man have the _audacity_ to steal my DNA, but you know what he did with it?" Law asked, his voice lowering dangerously to a near growl. He wasn't going to yell though, there was no need for that.

This time he didn't even wait for any indication of a reply, taking the pained noises as a sign that the young man was, in fact, listening to him. "He goes and he _fucking_ clones me! Well, it's not a clone per se, more like… reproduced me, with another guy mind you. Not that I detest the idea of two men being parents, I prefer the company of men myself, but that is beside the point. Now _I._ Have. A. Fucking. Child!" Law ground out, each word punctuated by driving the stake like points into the roughly pulled skin, pinning them open to reveal the man's internal organs.

Law frowned, "Look at this, your organs are not thanking you for all that shit you've put into your system. I can't even sell these." Law mused taking a gloved finger and none too gently poking the exposed tissue. "Sadly you would have died of kidney poisoning in a couple of months, and look at this." Law was frowning deeper now as he followed the veins that lined the young man's system.

"Collapsed veins, your heart wouldn't handle more of this abuse. Good thing I am relieving it of its duty... Now, as I was saying," Law said as he took a medical saw into his hand and placed the serrated blade at the edge of the kid's sternum. "So I'm given the choice of keeping the kid, right, or giving him up for adoption. Naturally I choose the latter option, because I have neither the time nor the patience needed to raise a child, not to mention…" Law frowned and placed the instrument down, "look at me, I'm a fucking murderer even if Cora-san refuses to believe it."

Law refused to run a hand through his hair but he was really tempted to, "Speaking of Cora-san, he _can't_ know of this experiment! And that's where my second problem arises, how am I going to keep such a thing from him?" Law asked in exasperation and frowned, taking hold of the instrument again.

"You're probably wondering who Cora-san is right?" No response came from the man. "You can say he's like my conscience at times. He keeps me out of trouble, often talks me out of doing reckless things and releasing some stress, but I didn't call him tonight, because how could I? I'd have to come clean about the kid and of course Cora-san would say everything he could to make me keep the thing." Law sighed and rolled his eyes; the man had gone into shock. Now who was he going to tell his problems to?

"I'm bearing my soul to you and you give up." Law frowned, "Typical druggie, always thinking of themselves first, inconsiderate bastard." Law ground out as he wedged his fingers through the crack in the man's ribs. Luckily the cartilage wasn't as hardened as it should have been, the guy probably lacked milk in his diet as well.

With two swift movements, Law pulled and tugged at the protective cage and became immediately rewarded with the sound of splintering and breaking bones.

"And so our session comes to a close, I appreciate your contribution. Even though your attention span was terrible I suppose I should thank you for hearing me out, Druggie-ya." Law commented as his gloved hand reached into the man's ribcage and wrapped slender fingers wrapped around the feeble organ. The weak pulse barely trembled against his fingers, nearing non existence.

None of that mattered though as Law was quick to close his fingers around it and pull the organ free of its binds to the man's body. The rewarding feeling that washed over him made Law laugh with pure glee. The organ shuddered one last and final time before stilling in his grasp, dripping crimson in its wake.

_I almost forgot how great−_ Law's thoughts were interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket, the rhythmic sensation causing him to sigh. A hardened glare was shot at the heart in his hand and Law chucked it aside unceremoniously, no longer interested in the useless dead organ. He didn't need impure hearts in his collection, after all. Slipping off his gloves Law tossed them on the fresh corpse, barely taking note as they landed within the newly made hole in his victim's chest.

Stalking out into the night Law answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear.

The caller did not bother with waiting for Law to answer, instead the caller called out to the surgeon, sounding rather distressed. " _LAW!_ Oh thank god I was able to reach you, where are you, tell me where you are right now, you haven't done what I fear you've done right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on that lovely note, let's take a break to process just what has been written.
> 
> Please keep in mind I am not in any medical field related position or career so my knowledge of medical instruments are pffffft yeah very near non existent so forgive me for not knowing proper medical terminology (I do however have a wonderful Beta who is familiar with some medical tools and such so she helps me immensely.)
> 
> Tell me what you think! And yes, Psychotic Law is such a rambler XD.
> 
> Thank you so very much to all of those who have commented, kudos', read, and all that fun stuff, I love you guys! Till next time!~


	3. Change of Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it's been forever... but look an update! :D
> 
> I'm pretty sure Emygrl99 beta'd this... it's been in archives for too long I'm sorry

"You have a _what_?!" Thatch cried out, standing from the chair he had been sitting in so quickly that the motion caused the four legged piece of carved wood to topple over in his haste.

"Oyaji, you gotta tell me I heard him wrong. Ace doesn't even _like_ women! How the hell did he out of all people suddenly become a dad?!" the brunette exclaimed, turning to face the older man who sat at the head of the table.

The elder's face was pulled into a sort of pensive scowl as he regarded his two sons. "I would expect this sort of prank from Ace; but you, Marco? What on earth has possessed you to go along with this?"

Across from his father, Marco sighed and ran a hand through his tuft of blonde hair. "I _know_ how this sounds Oyaji, but the truth of the matter remains: what Ace says is true, yoi. The head doctor showed us the child this morning, and he is the spitting image of Ace, though, as one would expect he has a few of the other father's traits too."

"WAIT! You stop right there, Turkey Boy!" Thatch spoke up again, causing the usually calm blue eyes to turn in his direction.

Nonetheless, the dense cook continued, completely undeterred by the stare he was receiving. "I know you have a hard time with work and all that fine print, so understandably such an environment can make your bird brain all blah and mushy, but to make a kid you need a man and a woman, not a man times two! Two roosters don't make a chick, you know."

"I _know_ that, Thatch," Marco snapped, irritation etched into his tone as he glared up at the brunette who was not intimidated in the least. It was becoming increasingly clear to everyone in the room that Marco was one step away from asking Thatch to leave, all pleasantries aside.

"He's a test tube baby." Ace said softly, unable to muster anything above a hushed whisper. And effectively saving the brunette from the wrath of their tired older brother.

Next to Ace, Izo–who had for the most part been watching in that quiet analytical manner of hers–gasped in horror. "Ace! Darling, how could you have ever considered joining one of those horrendous medical practices, much less allowing it to get this far?"

Ace flinched under his sister's stare, and chose to instead glare at his balled up fists. "I didn't!"

"Somehow some guy's and my DNA was harvested, altered, and _combined_ in order to form a kid. I don't know all... Actually any of the details and I didn't even know he existed until today, it wasn't something I willingly participated in. But… it happened, and a year has gone by and I missed it all." Ace said with a shake of his head, but before he could allow himself to fall into the despair and uncertainty that threatened to swallow him whole he looked up to his father.

"Oyaji, I'm going to bring him home. I will not let him be thrown into the adoption system and have to deal with all the shit I had to put up with before you found me. So I ask for your blessing Father, can I bring him home, please?" By that point, Ace's head was raised, chin set defiantly and though it appeared that he was asking permission, everyone in the room knew that it was not so. Ace would bring the child home with or without their father's permission, but still his approval was highly important.

The older man's eyes softened under the stare and a nod was given. "I would have personally beat the snot out of you if you hadn't asked, brat, Gurararara. I would be honored to meet my first grandchild; bring him home, Ace."

Ace lit up as he nodded and bowed his head. "Thank you, Oyaji."

Whitebeard laughed that warm unique laugh of his again. "So when do I get to meet my grandson? Does the brat have a name?"

Ace shook his head sheepishly. "I haven't decided on one yet. Dr. Kureha said we can finalize the paperwork tomorrow, and since it's not really an adoption because I'm his dad, he can come home right away."

"Oh how wonderful, then we need to start buying all of the essentials a baby needs in order to grow!" Izo chirped from her seat, taking a stand as well. She looked over to Thatch who was studying Ace with a slight frown.

"And this other guy, doesn't have a say as to where he lives? Don't tell me he'll be living here too."

"The other father wants nothing to do with him, yoi," Marco muttered darkly from his chair, earning everyone's undivided attention once more.

"What did you just say, Marco?" Thatch questioned,though for once it was not in a jovial and teasing tone. His voice had hardened along with his posture as he waited for an answer from their eldest brother.

"The bastard plainly said and I quote ' _Why would you want to keep it.'_ He called the child an _it_ , even after he found out he was a boy. Complete custody of Ace's son will not be a problem; not that he will fight us for it. Son of a bitch actually _wanted_ him to go into the system." Marco stated, for once not hiding his distaste behind a mask of calm.

"Yeah, well who needs him." Thatch muttered and sighed. "He has all of his uncles and aunts, not to mention Oyaji. So who needs the deadbeat to be involved in the tater tot's life."

Whitebeard frowned, the air around him radiating the dark thoughts he had towards this unnamed man, but he said nothing on the matter. Ace found himself wondering just what Oyaji would have done if he had been present earlier that morning, and something told him the doctor wouldn't have survived the meeting.

* * *

Several hours later, Law was sitting on the back of an abandoned wreckage of a truck a few miles away from where a wildfire blazed into the night.

"Law…" A deep voice called out from his left only a few moments after the sound of an engine had rumbled into the area.

The man in question didn't even bother to answer, instead he took a drag from the cigarette between his fingers and let the toxic smoke fill his lungs for a good three seconds. It was a terrible habit, Law knew from experience what they did to his lungs, but he could never find it in himself to stay away from them completely, especially when he was stressed.

"You smell like blood and nicotine," the blond that has stepped out of the car noted as he looked out into the horizon where a blazing fire raged on, billowing its dark clouds of smoke into the atmosphere. "Your handiwork I presume? Is there a reason you're smoking again, Law?"

A smirk formed, but fell off of Law's lips just as quickly. "You wouldn't be wrong. I used the tank of the stolen car plus a few other things to start that beauty right after I doused the body in the acid Cesar developed last week, I'll be sure to tell Doffy all about its dissolving rate later."

Corazon cursed under his breath and pushed a stray lock of blonde hair back from his forehead. "Law, I thought we agreed that you would call me before you went off and did things like _this_."

"I seem to recall that was _your_ game plan, Cora-san," Law mumbled and glared at the cigarette. He knew that he couldn't leave it behind, especially after that day's incident and his newfound paranoia revolving around anything that could contain his DNA. From that point on, Law knew that he would forever be cautious as to where he tossed out anything that could contain too much of his genetic make up.

Thus, Instead of pocketing the cigarette, Law flicked on his lighter once more and placed the cigar over it. The thin object was quick to take flame between his fingers.

Law's gray eyes lit up under the light of the flame, silently watching the cigarette darken and curl before turning to fine ash for a few moments before dropping it and allowing it to burn away into the night.

"Law!" Cora paled.

"Do I have to worry about you being an arsonist too?" he asked while stepping out the fire and picked up the duffle bag at Law's feet. However, once Cora saw he wasn't receiving an answer, he sighed. "One raging fire is enough to get people out here, we don't need a second one coming to life. Let's go before company shows up."

Nodding, Law watched as the ashes from the burning building fell from the air currents, blanketing the grass and everything it could touch in a morbid shade of gray.

"I didn't want to call you," Law finally muttered after climbing into the car and settling into his seat. His hushed words were loud enough for his guardian to hear, though, and Law ignored the flash of hurt that shadowed Corazon's eyes.

The older man didn't say anything to that, however, driving in silence as he waited for Law to continue.

"Something happened at work today," the surgeon began and he had to sigh the moment he heard the leather on the steering wheel protest from the added pressure.

Law shook his head to quell the other man's fears. "I didn't kill anyone on my table, well, not _that_ table. I was called into Kureha's office. And before you ask, no I did not abuse my operational authority. It has nothing to do with those sacks of meat, I'll say that much as of right now."

A familiar silence settled between the two, and though some may argue to the contrary, both Law and Cora would agree that it wasn't a suffocating quiet, but a comfortable one. It was one that had developed between father and son over many, many years; it was something that Cora had learned he needed to adopt around Law if he ever hoped to get along with the then damaged teen.

"Cora-san?" Law broke the silence that had fallen between them again, earning a quiet hum prompting him to continue. "What would you do if Curly Brow-ya had a son?"

Naturally, Corazon was completely unprepared for such a question and in his surprise he slammed down on the brakes, eliciting a screeching protest from the car as it lurched on the road and swerved until it skidded to a stop. The sequence caused Law to pitch forward, hanging onto the interior of the car and trying not to bite his tongue off in the process. " _Cora-san! Watch it."_

The man next to him didn't seem to hear Law, though, as he kept them sitting in the middle of the road for a few moments, while his clear blue eyes widened with something Law could not place a name to. "S- Sanji is with child?!" he cried out and scrambled around to search the car until he pulled out a phone.

"When? How long have you known? How was Nami able to…" Corazon stopped and huffed, shooting Law another hurt look. "That's not funny Law, I could have gotten us killed if we were on a busier road. I know you're upset, but that doesn't make jeopardizing our lives okay." the man chided and righted the car from where it had swerved, resuming the drive.

"Sanji would have tried to kill you if he was within earshot of that question, you know such a topic isn't one that he and Nami like to discuss." Corazon sighed, no doubt glad that his other son wasn't around to hear the question.

Law merely looked out the window, not addressing any of Cora's statements. "You ignored the question, Cora-san."

"I suppose I did, but unless you can convince Nami to let Sanji get a surrogate mother pregnant, I don't know what I would do honestly. I guess I would be elated, what father wouldn't? Besides it's not every day I get asked what I would do if I suddenly had a grandchild, a little baby." Corazon laughed and a smile formed on his lips as he thought on the idea. "Imagine it Law, me holding a small little baby, it would be a dream come true."

"I see," Law said simply and chewed on his bottom lip.

"I killed a man today," Law began in his usual dissociated monotone voice, and ignored the flinch the driver gave. Law continued to speak as if he hadn't seen the action. "He was a junkie—heroin—he was due to die this month or the next from what I saw, the drug would have killed him slowly and in a far worse fashion."

Cora knew better than to tell Law that his reasoning didn't make the maiming of a man any more acceptable, so instead the blond let the comment slide while Law continued to talk. "A rather insightful man he was—well not really, but he was a good listener, I'll give him that. In any case, prior to _that_ particular incident, I found out that..." Law trailed off and huffed. "Cora-san, would you feel the same way as with Curly Brow-ya if I had a child?"

At that question, Cora frowned, "Is there something you want to tell me Law? Oh god… please tell me that guy you just spoke to and maimed did not have a child with him. Tell me you didn't stick any semblance of a child in that duffle bag!" The blond demanded, and Law rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair.

"No Cora-san, what are you talking about? Just answer the question without freaking out," he grumbled, and after a moment he added in a much more quiet voice, "Please."

The blond sobered at that small word, and a small pleasant smile curved his lips. "Why would I act any different if it was Sanji's child or your's, Law? I would be the proudest grandfather either way, you know I love you both even though neither of you can have children due to, well, you know." Corazon gave a good natured shrug.

"Nami and Sanji have thought about adoption I think, but I never would have pegged you for a family man Law, not even when you were with Kid." Law flinched at the name and scowled at the other man.

Cora raised his hands defensively, completely forgetting he needed to keep both hands on the wheel and immediately righting the action. "I know, I know, don't mention the devil, but it was the only serious relationship you've ever had. I think even Doffy was surprised by the way it ended. But back to the child question, why the sudden interest?"

Law shrugged noncommittally, not meeting Corazon's sideways glance. "Curious."

"Law." The stern edge in Corazon's voice made Law frown. "The last time you were curious about something you tore the heart out of the neighbor's cat and _preserved_ it."

"It was medical research, besides it always kept you up at night with its infernal meowing," Law countered and earned a cuff to the back of the head from Cora. "Fine, yes I was curious," he admitted, and in a much more quiet voice he grumbled out, "The reason I ask is because, I may have fathered a child."

This time Law was ready for the abrupt stop Cora made, what he wasn't prepared for though was their nearly hitting a telephone post along the deserted road in the process. And once again Law barely avoided biting his tongue off, karma was definitely a bitch but he would not be falling prey to her any time so soon.

"I think I should drive now." Law stated, leaving no room for a counter argument as he opened the door and outed the blond from behind the steering wheel.

"How do you even think you _may_ have fathered a child?" Corazon cried, flailing his arms on his new side of the car.

Law cursed under his breath, he should have kept quiet about the entire thing. He had known Cora would react that way, yet here he was telling Cora all about it, or he was beginning to at least. "The test says that he is my child—some sorry son of a bitch used my DNA in a human experiment and created this child from mine and some other poor fool's biological combination. So yes, I may have fathered one without my consent." Law grumbled out.

"You mean…" Cora gulped and a moment of silence fell between them, though it didn't last long. "Law, when will I get to meet this precious grandchild of mine? Does he have my eyes? Do you think he'll like me? You have to tell him to call me Papa Cora it will be so adorable, and when he walks! Did you get any pictures of him Law?" The blond man rushed out in one breath all the while looking at Law expectantly.

"I'm afraid you won't be meeting him." Law told him bluntly as he turned in the direction of the city where his car was waiting for him.

"I was asked if I would be willing to give him over to an adoption agency. Naturally, I thought that was the best course of action, the papers could be tampered with and he could be given a happy home with a nice couple away from what we have. With that arrangement he would never have to know that he was a product of misused medical science," Law confided.

"However, his other donor had to step in and spew this hero's tale about how he was ours and _we_ shouldn't abandon him. I would have argued against it, but the man is as stubborn as they come, I could tell by the look he was giving me. It was then that I decided the other could take him in; let it be his problem. I'm sure he will do a better job of caring for the runt anyway."

" _Law Water D. Trafalgar!_ " Law flinched at the use of his full name and glowered at the road before him.

Law gripped the steering wheel tightly and hunched his shoulders, prepared for the speech he was about to receive."What on Earth were you _thinking_?! No, don't answer that. You _weren't_ thinking were you? A child, _your_ child was placed right before you, and what do you do? You told him to take a hike? Law… I'm very disappointed in you."

And there it was, that was what Law was fearing above all else; disappointing Cora. After everything the man had done for him to keep him out of trouble, and this was what messed him up in the blonde's view. His refusal to corrupt an innocent child had only earned him Corazon's dismay.

"Think about this from a logical point of view Cora-san, not emotional. Emotions only mess you up. The boy is an _experiment_ , he was not created in any natural way, he was _made_ by some sick bastard in a lab. How would I be able to explain that?" Law growled, his own temper rising despite his statement. If he kept that up he would need to find another outlet, and he could hardly indulge twice in one night, especially not with Cora a single car seat away from him.

"I did take his best interests into consideration despite what anyone thinks. While the other moron was pondering the how's, I was exploring the outcomes. I am a man of a scientific medical field despite my extra curricular activities after all. It would have been better to lose that child into the system and scramble the paperwork than to have him go home with that nimwit and subject him to what is inevitable. He will grow up and eventually ask where his mother is and there will be no other answer other than to tell him he was never meant to be. Whereas if he was adopted, whoever the lucky couple would have him would tell him the truth. He was adopted, they know nothing about the real parents."

Corazon was regarding Law curiously, though the disappointment was still evident. "You've given this lie a lot of thought haven't you, Law?"

Law snorted and shrugged a shoulder. "I assumed that was what a concerned, but logical father would say, had you going for a minute, didn't I?" he muttered darkly, keeping his eyes on the road. There was no point in looking over to Cora when he already knew the look of hurt and dismay he would find in those blue eyes all too well.

"Your lack of emotions scares me Law, how could you have been so cold to a baby? The one living family member you have?"

"You're alive. You're family," Law stated bluntly.

"That's not what I mean Law and you know it! This kid has your _blood_ , your DNA! He is every bit of yours that you were of your parents." Corazon protested, ignoring the tensing of Law's shoulders, not taking Law's rigid posture into consideration, nor the way the surgeon's knuckles turned white against the steering wheel from gripping it so hard the hardened plastic noised its protest. "How can you be so cold, Law?!"

Law tried to hold his tongue, tried to ignore the way that Cora's words stabbed at him. He couldn't though, if there was one person that could ever get through to Law's near nonexistent empathy, it was Corazon, the man who had saved him from himself. " _I can_ _'t see him die too!_ " Law finally snapped and barely avoided clipping a car on the other side of the road that honked angrily at him on the near desolate road.

Law momentarily wished he was in a stolen car at that moment; he would have rammed that car over the winding path and happily watched as it plummeted to its doom with a fiery explosion. It wasn't his style, but causing a little mayhem always helped soothe his moods.

The sudden outburst calmed the blonde who suddenly looked ashamed at his words. "Law…" Corazon tried, but Law made no move to acknowledge that he had heard him. "Law I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about that, but think about it. This child is half of you, there is still a possibility that he could have _ALD._ Who else would be able to recognize the symptoms if not you? Ship him off to any other family or even this other person and they won't know what to do. They won't know how to cure him Law, you have the antibodies in your system. You could help him."

Law stayed quiet, the miles and hours blending into one endless blur of highway and streetlights. Corazon had given up in trying to get an answer out of him after a handful of attempts. All the while, a dark thought loomed in Law's mind as he drove those endless hours. _They sure as Hell hadn't h_ _is family_ _._

* * *

Marco tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his younger brother to hurry up and finish his grooming. Really, what was taking him so long? "Ace you're picking up a baby from a hospital, not going to get yourself married, yoi."

"I want to look my best Marco!" Ace called back as he swapped glances between a red tie and a blue one, giving up and flinging the door open to the blonde, "Quick, which one should I wear, blue or red?"

"Ace, do you even know how to tie a tie?" Marco asked, lifting a bemused brow at the younger man's obvious distress over the accessory. Ace pouted and glared at the long pieces of fabric. "No, but I thought you know, maybe you'd be willing to give me a hand?"

Will of a roll of his eyes, Marco smiled and took the red one from Ace, proceeding to wrap it around his neck. "Red seems more appropriate."

Ace snorted. "What, does it bring out my eyes?" he asked with a laugh, to which Marco simply shrugged a shoulder, a lazy smile painted on his lips. "It actually brings out your freckles, yoi."

Laugher accompanied Ace's indignant protests to the comment all the way to the car and the short ride to Sacred Heart, both men equally eager to retrieve the newest addition to their family.

"Given any thought to a name, yoi?" Marco asked the raven that was practically vibrating with excitement in the passenger seat. At the question though, Ace finally stilled and gave him a pout, not replying.

Marco stared in clear disbelief at his brother. "Have you honestly not put any thought into it, yoi?"

Ace had the grace to look sheepish at the accusation. "Of course I've given thought to it Marco, I'm not that stupid, c'mon," he grumbled and frowned. "But, how was I supposed to know that I was only going to get 19 hours to name him? It's not like I've had kids before Marco, you can't really blame me for over thinking the name thing. I love the name my mom gave me, but would he like the name that I give him? I spent the better half of the night looking up baby name generators and tips and tricks. But nothing seemed to stick… Some sites suggested naming him after a father, but that's pretty presumptuous don't you think? Naming him Ace or Lawrence, not that the asshole cares. And I won't be naming him after _him._ Roger is out of the question. And I love Oyaji, but Edward seems daunting for a child." Ace sighed.

Ace buried his head in his hands as he groaned, "Marco I don't even know where to start, most people get months to figure it out, and we were given less than a day; what would you name him?"

Marco hummed, "Truthfully, I wouldn't know what to name a kid either, if someone had told me just yesterday that I had a child with a person I was with or even through different means, I would be just as lost. I can say that this isn't like naming a pet though, so please Ace, just think carefully about this, yoi."

"Wherever would I be without your astounding wisdom, Marco?" Ace smirked and turned to look outside the window, a small frown creasing his brow as he thought again on a possible name. Rouge… that was a gender neutral name, right?

_Rouge D. Portgas_ _?_

* * *

"And Lastly, please sign here," Kureha said, pointing to the last line in the stack of paperwork upon her desk when a voice interrupted.

"Doctorine-ya, you started this little party without me. That hurts you know." The bored monotone spoke up, heavy footsteps echoing the voice as a man strode into the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

" , I hadn't expected you to be present for the signing." Dr. Kurha remarked standing her full stature and gazing past Ace, who had gone unnaturally still, his muscles tensing and straining under the suit he wore.

The sigh that followed only caused Ace's hand to tighten around the pen he was holding, "I was in a state of shock, Doctorine-ya, could you really expect one to keep a level head when faced with such news?" The doctor asked, his footsteps pausing now that he was beside Ace, flanking his right side.

"Ace D. Portgas." The seemingly bored voice read off of the legal paperwork. "How... Quaint, I presume you wished to have the child bear your surname." The doctor commented and Ace jerkily rose his head, dark brown eyes meeting indifferent gray.

"Ah, but where are my manners. Law Trafalgar, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, _Ace."_ The man, no Law, extended an open palm to Ace, a pleasant smile placed on his lips, though Ace couldn't help but stare with a cold shiver running up and down his spine. The area where Dr. Hogback normally extracted the bone marrow from throbbed with an eerie unpleasantness leaving Ace unsure as to whether it was due to the way his name was said, the smile he was receiving or the overall vibe of... dangerousness around the doctor.

Ace was quick to recover, however, his gaze steeling and posture straightening as he prepared himself to tell the man before him where he could shove his pleasantries. "I ca-"

"What my brother means to say, yoi. Is that this is a pleasant surprise, isn't that right Ace?" Marco cut in, his voice seemingly pleasant though Ace could detect the hostility behind it.

Clearing his throat, Ace nodded tersely, "Yeah, it's a surprise alright." He muttered taking the offered hand and shaking it as custom called, taking note in the small quirk in the doctor's smile.

"I sincerely apologize for my words and actions, yesterday afternoon. I now understand that my words were rather uncalled for. But I have realized the error of my actions and see that I was in the wrong. Doctorine-ya, if I may, can I hold him? I would also love to share my life with him." the doctor smiled and Ace couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

"Ah and Mr. Portgas, I do hope the name of the child is still up for debate, shall we discuss that matter?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Law is going to get custody of a child, an innocent one year old. Will Marco and the rest of the Whitebeards allow this? Did he truly have a change of heart? Is he even capable of loving?
> 
> Perhaps? But the biggest question remains, what will be their child's name?
> 
> Find out next time!~


End file.
